Pronouns, Presence and Authority in John D’Agata’s “Collage History of Art, by Henry Darger” (2001)

Authors

  • Sigolène Vivier Université d'Artois

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that John D’Agata’s essay “Collage History of Art, by Henry Darger” (Halls of Fame, 2001) is configured by the constant dramatization of the notion of presence. Drawing on a stylistic approach, I explore how its use of deixis directs our attention towards the pragmatic implications of self-reflexivity, effects of address and authorial intention within the specific framework of non-fiction. These considerations naturally connect with D’Agata’s wish to exploit the porousness between factuality and fictionality within the genre of the essay, presumably regulated by what Fludernik calls “the factual pact”. I first examine how enunciation is built in D’Agata’s ekphrastic essay on the work of outsider artist Henry Darger, and the challenges that the reader faces when encountering the pronouns “I” and “you” in a nonfictional context, before engaging with the presence effects that are brought on by the use of “we” and the imperative mood—devices which prompt readers to envisage literature as a conversational gesture, exhorting them to engage with artby taking part in the building of a supposed discursive community.

Keywords: John D’Agata, Henry Darger, deixis, pronouns, stylistics, essay, non-fiction, genre, authority, David Foster Wallace

Author Biography

Sigolène Vivier, Université d'Artois

Sigolène Vivier est maîtresse de conférences en études anglophones à l’Université d’Artois et membre du laboratoire Textes et Cultures. Elle a soutenu une thèse en littérature américaine contemporaine sur la relation entre brièveté et excès dans les nouvelles de William Gass, Steven Millhauser et David Foster Wallace (2020, Sorbonne Université). Ses recherches s’intéressent actuellement à la non-fiction narrative, dans le double champ de l’étude littéraire et des études de traduction, et plus particulièrement à la question de la mise en récit et des postures énonciatives.

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Published

2025-04-17

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2025): Variations pronominales

Section

ARTICLES

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